NFL Player News

Sample hauled in all four of his targets for 14 yards and a touchdown during the Bengals' 41-24 win over the Raiders.

Sample was one of four different Cincinnati receivers to haul in a touchdown pass from Joe Burrow during Sunday's blowout win. He's now caught eight of his nine targets for 42 yards and a touchdown across nine games this season.

Oliver caught all five of his targets for 58 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 21-13 win over the Colts.

Oliver remained the team leader in offensive snaps at tight end in Week 9 as the Vikings eased T.J. Hockenson back into action. Oliver made the most of his opportunities, most notably reeling in a 14-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Once Hockenson is up to speed, Oliver will see a dip in usage as the team's No. 2 option at tight end.

The Steelers waived Williams on Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Williams signed to the Steelers' practice squad at the end of August after failing to make the 53-man roster at the end of training camp. However, he was added to the 53-man roster Sept. 18, and across his six regular-season appearances between Week 3 and 8, Williams played 104 snaps on special teams and five on offense. Assuming he clears waivers, Williams will look to catch on with a team in need of a tight end who can contribute on special teams.

Higgins caught both of his targets for 34 yards during Sunday's 29-9 victory versus the Bears.

Higgins continues to be minimally involved as a pass catcher, with Sunday's season high in receiving yards fueled by a 23-yard catch that surpassed any of his single-game tallies from the first eight games of the campaign. However, during a contest in which Kyler Murray attempted only 20 passes, Higgins nearly matched No. 1 TE Trey McBride's 3-35-0 line. Aside from recording no targets in Week 6, Higgins has managed one or two receptions in each of his eight other outings, leaving him on the outside looking in to relevance in the Cardinals offense.

The Bengals placed All (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.

All will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in Sunday's 41-24 win over the Raiders. The rookie tight end suited up in each of the Bengals' first nine games, turning in a 20-158-0 receiving line on 22 targets. Given the early November timing of his upcoming surgery in addition to the fact that it'll be his second operation on the knee, All may not be back to 100 percent by the start of the 2025 season.

Likely (hamstring) wasn't on the field for Tuesday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Likely had been previously listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated practice report, and with Tuesday being the Ravens' only full practice before Thursday's matchup with the Bengals, the tight end looks to be at real risk of missing his first game of the season. The injury may explain why Likely was held to a season-low 31 percent snap share in the Ravens' Week 9 win over the Broncos. If Likely were to sit out Thursday's contest, Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar could see increased reps, and fullback Patrick Ricard -- who caught a three-yard touchdown in Week 9 -- could also be on the field more frequently.

Ertz caught his only target for five yards in a 27-22 win over the Giants on Sunday.

Ertz finished the game with season-low 47.0 percent snap share, mostly because he took just two of 19 snaps in the fourth quarter while the Commanders leaned heavily on their running game. He previously had at least three targets in every game this year, including five or more targets each of the past four weeks. There's a good chance Ertz's volume rebounds Week 10 against a tough Pittsburgh defense.

Kelce hauled in 14 of 16 targets for 100 yards with one lost fumble in Monday's overtime win over the Buccaneers.

Kelce reached triple digits in receiving yards for the first time this season, and the Chiefs needed every yard after narrowly defeating the Buccaneers. The star tight end has generated a whopping 24 receptions and 190 yards with a touchdown over his previous two contests. The presence of trade acquisition DeAndre Hopkins has clearly benefited Kelce by giving Kansas City another threat to worry about. The latter could be in store for a big second half based on recent developments as the Chiefs prepare to host the Broncos on Sunday.

Otton secured eight of 11 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 30-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs on Monday night.

Otton led the Buccaneers across the board in receptions, receiving yards and targets, which was unsurprising given the Buccaneers were down all of Mike Evans (hamstring), Chris Godwin (IR, ankle) and Jalen McMillan (hamstring). Otton also recorded his fourth touchdown grab of the season on an 11-yard catch early in the third quarter, erasing a 10-7 deficit at the time. Otton now has at least eight catches and double-digit targets in three straight games, and even with a potential return for McMillan in Week 10, the third-year tight end should remain busy against the 49ers.

Whyle recorded one catch on two targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win against the Patriots.

Whyle was on the field for a season-low 10 offensive snaps, as Nick Vannett and Chigoziem Okonkwo both saw expanded roles. Whyle has 15 or fewer receiving yards in five of eight games on the campaign.